I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 999 

To direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Academy of Sciences to study the vehicle handling requirements proposed 

by the Commission for recreational off-highway vehicles and to prohibit 

the adoption of any such requirements until the completion of the study. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2015 

Mr. POMPEO (for himself, Mr. PETERSON, Mr. PAULSEN, Mr. HARPER, Mr. 

DUFFY, Mr. STEWART, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. BENISHEK, 

Mr. KLINE, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. OLSON, Mrs. NOEM, Mr. AMODEI, and Mr. 

STIVERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission and 

the National Academy of Sciences to study the vehicle 

handling requirements proposed by the Commission for 

recreational off-highway vehicles and to prohibit the 

adoption of any such requirements until the completion 

of the study. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘ROV In-Depth Exam5 ination Act’’. 


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•HR 999 IH

1 SEC. 2. RECREATIONAL OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE STAND2 ARDS STUDY. 

3 (a) NO MANDATORY STANDARDS REGARDING PER4 FORMANCE OR CONFIGURATION OF ROVS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Consumer Product 

6 Safety Commission shall have no authority to estab7 lish any standards concerning the performance or 

8 configuration of recreational off-highway vehicles 

9 until after the completion of the study required by 

10 subsection (b). This prohibition includes a prohibi11 tion on the exercise of any authority pursuant to 

12 section 27(e) of the Consumer Product Safety Act 

13 (15 U.S.C. 2076(e)) to require ROV manufacturers 

14 to provide performance and technical data to pro15 spective purchasers and to the first purchaser of an 

16 ROV for purposes other than resale. 

17 (2) VOLUNTARY STANDARDS.—Nothing in this 

18 section shall be construed as suggesting that ROVs 

19 shall not be manufactured in compliance with appli20 cable voluntary standards. 

21 (b) STUDY.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall con23 tract with the National Academy of Sciences to de24 termine— 

25 (A) the technical validity of the lateral sta26 bility and vehicle handling requirements proVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:57 Feb 26, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H999.IH H999

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1 posed by the Commission in a notice of pro2 posed rulemaking published in the Federal Reg3 ister November 19, 2014 (79 Fed. Reg. 68964), 

4 for purposes of reducing the risk of ROV roll5 overs in the off-road environment, including the 

6 repeatability and reproducibility of testing for 

7 compliance with such requirements; 

8 (B) the number of ROV rollovers that 

9 would be prevented if the proposed require10 ments were adopted; 

11 (C) whether there is a technical basis for 

12 the proposal to provide information on a point13 of-sale hangtag about a vehicle’s rollover resist14 ance on a progressive scale; and 

15 (D) the effect on the utility of ROVs used 

16 by the Armed Forces if the proposed require17 ments were adopted. 

18 (2) CONSULTATION AND DEADLINE FOR RE19 PORT.—The National Academy of Sciences shall 

20 consult with the National Highway Traffic Safety 

21 Administration and the Department of Defense in 

22 carrying out the study required by this subsection. 

23 The National Academy of Sciences shall complete 

24 and transmit to the Commission a report containing 


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1 the findings of the study not later than two years 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

3 (3) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Within five days 

4 of receiving the report described in paragraph (2) 

5 from the National Academy of Sciences, the Com6 mission shall transmit the report, along with any 

7 comments of the Commission, to the Committee on 

8 Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa9 tives and to the Committee on Commerce, Science 

10 and Transportation of the Senate. 

11 (4) CONSIDERATION.—The Commission shall 

12 consider the results of the study in any subsequent 

13 rulemaking regarding the performance or configura14 tion of ROVs, or the provision of point-of-sale infor15 mation regarding ROV performance. 

16 (c) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 

17 (1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

18 means the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

19 (2) RECREATIONAL OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE.— 

20 The term ‘‘recreational off-highway vehicle’’ or 

21 ‘‘ROV’’ means a motorized off-highway vehicle de22 signed to travel on four or more tires, intended by 

23 the manufacturer for recreational use by one or 

24 more persons and having the following characteris25 tics: 


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•HR 999 IH

1 (A) A steering wheel for steering control. 

2 (B) Foot controls for throttle and service 

3 brake. 

4 (C) Non-straddle seating. 

5 (D) Maximum speed capability greater 

6 than 30 miles per hour. 

7 (E) Gross vehicle weight rating no greater 

8 than 3,750 pounds. 

9 (F) Less than 80 inches in overall width, 

10 exclusive of accessories. 

11 (G) Engine displacement equal to or less 

12 than 61 cubic inches for gasoline fueled en13 gines. 

14 (H) Identification by means of a 17-char15 acter personal or vehicle information number. 

16 (3) EXCLUSION.—Such term does not include a 

17 prototype of a motorized, off-highway, all-terrain ve18 hicle or other motorized, off-highway, all-terrain ve19 hicle that is intended exclusively for research and de20 velopment purposes unless the vehicle is offered for 

21 sale. 

Æ 


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